The Darkest Song (The Eternal Darkness Duet #1)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

T he third floor lights were still out, and it wasn’t until I stepped back into the light on the second floor that I realized I’d been able to see clearly in the darkness. I hurried down the remaining stairs, and when I stepped outside into the night air, I stumbled to a halt.

I could see everything. S mell everything. My street was empty at this hour, but I could hear traffic from a couple streets over. I could hear bits of conversation, even though there was no one in sight. The air felt strange against my skin, and I could feel all the hair on my arms stand up. I could actually feel it.

I started walking, my eyes darting all over the place on the lookout for my attacker. I hurried for three blocks, then cut through the park, and it was only when the lit up parking lot came into sight that I realized I’d walked to the grocery store.

I pulled my hood up before walking inside, aware that it made me look suspicious, but feeling the need to hide myself. I went straight to the meat department at the back of the store, and when I saw the cold cases of raw meat, the pain in my stomach returned. Oh God! Not now!

I started grabbing packages from the case at random. When I had as much as I could carry, I stumbled to the front of the store. I could smell the clerk before I could see him. He smelled like sweat and cigarettes. And blood.

I could hear his blood rushing through his veins, and it called to me. I felt a sharp pain in my gums and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I clenched my jaw, keeping my lips firmly closed.

I rounded the corner of the aisle and saw him standing behind the counter. I could see his pulse beating at the base of his neck, and unwillingly my lips parted. So I ran. Clutching the meat to my chest, I ran straight past him and out the door.

“Hey!” he yelled. But I was gone.

Before I knew it, I was back in the park. I dropped my stolen goods, all but one package. I tore into it, not even knowing what it was, and devoured it, then a second package. Afterwards, I leaned against a tree to catch my breath. Nausea hit me, and I bent over and threw everything up. When I was done puking, I straightened and wiped my face with my sleeve. Then I heard a woman scream.

The sound was quickly silenced, but I could hear movement. Without thinking, I ran towards the sound. It all happened in a matter of seconds. I saw him on top of her, holding her down, and my vision went red. I was upon them in an instant, and in one fluid movement I yanked him off her and sank my teeth into his neck. We fell to the ground together, my body landing on top of his. He didn’t even struggle as I tore at his flesh. I was in a frenzy, until I wasn’t. A feeling of warmth swept over me, calming me. I shuddered and lifted my head, pulling my teeth from his neck. I sat up, straddling his body and slowly licked my lips. The satisfaction I felt at that moment was indescribable. I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring the feeling, until I heard a noise behind me.

My eyes flew open as I twisted my head to look over my shoulder. The woman laying on the ground behind me was pushing herself up into a sitting position. Our eyes met, and hers widened, and then she began to scream.

I meant to tell her she was safe, but my vision narrowed to the smear of blood on her lower lip and I lost myself to the madness once more.

I flew at her, and when my teeth were mere inches from her neck, I slammed into a solid wall and was flung backwards through the air. I hit the ground hard and slid several feet before stopping. I blinked up at the sky, momentarily stunned, then I pushed myself up into a sitting position and looked around.

A figure was hunched over the woman, who had fallen silent. Before I had a chance to react, he stood up and spun around to face me.

“What were you thinking?” he hissed.

My eyes went to his mouth, which was smeared with blood. I looked past him to the woman on the ground.

“You killed her,” I whispered shakily.

“Of course I didn’t kill her.” He scowled and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “But you killed him.” He waved a hand towards the body on the ground between us.

“I-” I only managed one word before my body started to shake uncontrollably.

He took a quick step towards me and I scrambled backwards, holding up a hand to ward him off. He froze.

The woman on the ground moaned, and I jerked my head to look at her.

“Where is your sire?” the man snapped, causing me to jerk my head back towards him.

“She’s alive!” I exclaimed, pointing at the woman.

“As I said.” His tone was impatient. He took another step towards me. “ Where is your sire?”

“I- What?” My eyes darted back and forth between him and the woman.

A police siren pierced the air, causing me to jump. I lept to my feet, and in one quick motion he grabbed me and yanked me hard against his body, his arms going around me. We shot up into the air so fast I didn’t have a chance to scream.

I squeezed my eyes shut and clung to him, as the wind tore past us, yanking at my clothes and my hair. Then we were falling. It was like being on a roller coaster. My stomach was in my throat, and I clenched my jaw hard, trying not to vomit. A second later we hit the ground with a jarring thud.

He let go of me and I tumbled off of him and landed on the ground. I was gasping, struggling to breathe. I lay flat on the ground, my hands clenching the tall grass, trying to anchor myself to the earth.

“You are unaccustomed to flying.” He said it as a statement, not a question. Still clinging to the grass, I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He bent and reached towards me.

“No!” The word burst out of me, causing him to freeze.

He straightened and let his hand fall to his side. “What you’re feeling will pass.”

He was right. I was beginning to feel better already. I let go of the grass and slowly sat up. I glanced up at him, towering over me, and quickly climbed to my feet. I brushed my hair out of my face and really looked at him, the sight nearly stopping my heart.

He was beautiful. There was no other word to describe him. He was several inches taller than me, with pale skin and messy brown curls. His blue-gray eyes held my gaze with a hypnotic intensity. I knew I should be afraid, but for some reason I wasn’t.

“You’re a vampire,” I whispered, no longer able to deny the truth.

“As are you.” His voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp.

I’m a vampire. The thought made my head spin, and I struggled to remain calm. “Why did you bring me here?”

“My name is Adam.”

I stared at him waiting for more, but that was it. “Why did you bring me here?” I asked again.

“Should I have left you in the park with the man you just killed? The way that woman was screaming, you would have been discovered in no time. Unless you killed her as well. Killing a human is punishable by death, as you know.” He looked at me, as if expecting a response, and I stared back at him with wide eyes.

His eyes narrowed. “ Did you know?” When I just continued to stare at him, he frowned. “Where is your sire?”

“I- I don’t know what you mean,” I stammered.

He took a step closer, causing me to take a step back.

“I’m sorry.” He held up a hand. “I don’t mean to frighten you, but finding a newborn alone is concerning for several reasons.”

“Newborn?” I asked, my voice cracking. Then the words started pouring out of me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what's happening to me. This isn’t real! None of this is real!”

“It's alright,” he said gently. “Why don’t we go inside and you can tell me all about it.”

“Inside?” I repeated dumbly.

He looked past me, and I turned around to see a two-story house, its white paint peeling with age and neglect. The front porch was half hidden by vines, and the windows were boarded up. I’d thought we landed in a meadow, but it was really the overgrown lawn in front of this dilapidated house.

“In there?” I asked, my voice barely a squeak. It was a house out of a horror movie. Someplace only a serial killer would live. Or a vampire.

He chuckled. “It's not so bad on the inside. Come on.” He walked past me, not bothering to see if I followed.

I watched him walk towards the house, then I looked around at the dark forest surrounding me. Where was I ? Deciding I didn’t have too many options, I started after him.